Unloading assist for covered hopper cars

ABSTRACT

A gas inflatable bag is mounted on the slope sheet of a covered hopper car adjacent the bottom discharge outlet. The bag is secured along its upper marginal portion to the slope sheet and upon inflation bulges outwardly into the hopper. Upon deflation of the bag when a bulk commodity, such as potatoes, is carried by the hopper, the space previously occupied by the inflated bag is reoccupied by the bulk commodity thereby to aid in discharging any of the bulk commodity tending to bridge over the discharge opening.

United States Patent Inventor Garth R. Smith Maryland Heights, Mo.

Appl. No. 886,815

Filed Dec. 22, 1969 Patented Sept. 14, 1971 Assignee ACFlndustries,1ncorp0rated New York, NY.

UNLOADING ASSIST FOR COVERED HOPPER CARS 6 Claims,5 Drawing Figs.

U.S.Cl 214/501], 214/17 A, 222/195,214/152 Int. Cl Bfiflp 11/00, Bp 1/56Field of Search 214/82, 83.3,10.5 D, 17 A500, 152; /369 BA; 302/52, 53;222/ [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,931,523 4/1960Nelligan 214/82 3,139,998 7/1964 Seaman 214/82 Primary Examiner-AlbertJ. Makay Attorney- Eugene N. Riddle ABSTRACT: A gas inflatable bag ismounted on the slope sheet of a covered hopper car adjacent the bottomdischarge outlet. The bag is secured along its upper marginal portion tothe slope sheet and upon inflation bulges outwardly into the hopper.Upon deflation of the bag when a bulk commodity, such as potatoes, iscarried by the hopper, the space previously occupied by the inflated bagis reoccupied by the bulk commodity thereby to aid in discharging any ofthe bulk commodity tending to bridge over the discharge opening.

PATENIEU SEP14|97| 3,604,578

sum 1 [1F 5 FIG.

INVENTOR. GARTH R. SMITH ATTORNEY PATENTED SEPI 41911 SHEET 2 UF 5 FIG.2.

UNLOADING ASSIST FOR COVERED HOPPER CARS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONVarious types of lading assist devices have been employed, heretofore,such as aeration pads, to aerate or fluidize the material being unloadedfor minimizing bridging over of the lading and to speed the unloadingprocess. However, aeration is ineffective when bulk commodities of arelatively large individual size, such as potatoes, oranges, lemons, andthe like, are being unloaded. At times, such bulk commodities tend tobridge over. the bottom discharge opening to impede the unloading.

DESCRIPTION OF TIIE INVENTION An air inflatable member is mounted on atleast one of the end slope sheets of a railway hopper car generallyadjacent the bottom discharge opening and secured along an uppermarginal portion generally in face-to-face contact with the associatedslope sheet when in deflated relation. The air inflatable member bulgesoutwardly into the hopper when inflated to occupy space normallyoccupied by the bulk commodity or lading, such as potatoes, oranges, orthe like, and upon deflation of the member when the bulk commodities arebeing discharged from the hopper, the space previously occupied by thedeflated member is occupied by the bulk commodity thereby aiding indischarging any of the lading tending to bridge over the dischargeopening. If the air inflatable member is inflated at least partiallybefore the loading of the car, the fall or drop of the bulk commoditywill be cushioned by the inflatable member. The air inflatable member isseveral feet in width as measured transversely of the car and wheninflated bulges outwardly as much as 12 inches in thickness thereby tooccupy a substantially large space within the hopper. The inflatablemember may be alternately inflated and deflated to aid in the dischargeof the material from the hopper.

The invention accordingly comprises the constructions hereinafterdescribed, the scope of the invention being indicated in the followingclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which one of various possibleembodiments of the invention is illustrated,

FIG. I is a side elevation of a railway covered hopper car having thepresent invention disposed on slope sheets adjacent the bottom dischargeopenings of the hoppers;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken generally along line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section view of means to permit a supply of air tothe air inflatable member;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged section of the air inflatable member inflated andbulging outwardly into the hopper to displace the bulk commodity carriedwithin the hopper; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but showing the hopperduring unloading with the gate and cover removed from the bottomdischarge opening.

Referring now to the drawings for a better understanding of thisinventioh, a covered hopper car is indicated generally and comprises aplurality of hoppers l2. Hopper car II) includes a pair of sides I4having an upper roof 16 extending therebetween. Roof 16 has a hatchopening 18 for each hopper 12 and a hatch cover 20 over each opening 18is adapted to be moved between open and closed positions for loading ofhoppers 12. A side sill 22 extends along each side of railway car 10 andopposed side slope sheets 24 slope downwardly from side sills 22 to abottom discharge opening 28 for each hopper 12. End slope sheets 26extend transversely of the car 10 and lead downwardly to bottomdischarge opening 28.

A gate 30 forms a closure for opening 28 and is supported on a housing31 defining bottom discharge opening 28. A rack and pinion combinationgenerally indicated 32 is provided for opening and closing gate 30. Alayer of polyurethane foam 34 is applied to the exterior of railway car10 for insulation. To insulate gate 30 and associated housing 31, alower cover generally indicated 36 is provided and includes an outerfiberglas body 38 having an inner layer of poylurethane foam material 40thereon for insulation. Cover 36 is adapted to fit tightly against anouter peripheral flange 42 extending about the upper portion of gatehousing 31. Suitable gaskets are provided to seal cover 36 about thegate housing 32 and gate 30.

For movement of gate cover 36 between open and closed positions, a pairof parallel links 44 are pivoted about their upper ends at 46 tosupports on gate housing 31 and are pivoted adjacent their lower ends at48 to cover 36. An operating shaft 50 forms one of the pivots 46 and hasan arm 52 secured thereto. The extending end of arm 52 is pivoted at 54to an overcenter link 56 which has its lower end mounted about a pivot48. A capstan 58 is secured to operating shaft 50 and upon rotation by asuitable handspike or the like, overcenter link 56 is moved past anovercenter position and cover 36 is swung outwardly to the position ofFIG. 5. In this position, pivot 54 moves to an overcenter position inrelation to pivots 48 and 46 to hold cover 36 in an open position asshown in FIG. 5 for the discharge of lading from bottom dischargeopening 28.

An inflatable bag is generally indicated 60 and is positioned inface-to-face contact with an adjacent end slope sheet 26 extendingtransversely of car 10. A flange 62 along the upper marginal edgeportions of bag 60 terminates at an upwardly extending protuberance 64.A metal securing strip 66 is disposed over flange 62 adjacentprotuberance 64 and suitable nut and bolt combinations 68 secure strip66 and flange 62 to slope sheet 26. To provide air for bag 60, an airline (not shown) from a suitable source of air, such as an aircompressor (not shown), may be releasably connected to tee fitting 72 atthe unloading site. A safety valve 74 is connected to tee 72 and may beset for actuation at an internal pressure, such as 12 p.s.i. Aconnecting air line 76 secured at 78 to a removable end 79 of housing 80disposed about an opening 82 in slope sheet 26. The upper end ofconnecting line 76 terminates at a nipple 83 fitting within sleeve 84secured to a plate 86 which is positioned within a pocket formed betweenan intermediate layer 88 of bag 60 and the outer layer thereof. Anopening 90 is provided in intermediate layer 88 and air enters bag 60through opening 90 for inflation thereof. Removable lower end 79 ofhousing 80 permits access to connecting line 76. Inflatable bag 60 maybe formed of either a nonelastomeric material, such as nylon, or anelastomeric material, such as rubber. Since bag 60 is secured along itsupper marginal portion, inflatable bag 60 may stretch in variousdirections if formed ofan elastomeric material.

In operation, bag 60 may, if desired, be partially or fully in flatedbefore loading of hopper car 10. Then, upon opening of hatch covers 20and the loading of hoppers I2, the drop of the lading into the hopperwill be cushioned by the inflatable member. Normally, bag 60 would bedeflated before hopper I2 is fully loaded in order for hopper I2 to befully loaded. Upon discharge, cover 36 is moved to open position byrotation of shaft 50. Then, gate 30 is opened by operating rack andpinion combination 32. Bag 60 may be inflated to break any tendency ofthe material to bridge over opening 28, or may be alternately deflatedor inflated to assist in the unloading of the lading.

What is claimed is:

1. In a covered hopper railway car particularly for carrying bulkcommodities such as potatoes, a plurality of hoppers each having abottom discharge opening, means for controlling the discharge of thebulk commodity through the discharge opening including a movable closurefor the opening, pairs of opposed slope sheets for each hopper slopingdownwardly to the associated discharge opening, and an air inflatablemember mounted on at least one of said slope sheets generally adjacentthe discharge opening and disposed generally in face-to-face contactwith said associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, said airinflatable member bulging outwardly into the hopper when inflated tooccupy space normally occupied by the bulk commodity transported withinthe hopper, the deflation of said member when the bulk commodity isbeing discharged from the hopper permitting the space previouslyoccupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the bulk commoditythereby aiding in dislodging any bulk commodity bridging over thedischarge opening for effecting rapid unloading of the commodity.

2. In a covered hopper railway car particularly for carrying bulkcommodities such as potatoes, a plurality of hoppers each having abottom discharge opening, means for controlling the discharge of thebulk commodity through the discharge opening including a movable closurefor the opening, pairs of opposed slope sheets for each hopper slopingdownwardly to the associated discharge opening, and an air inflatablemember mounted on at least one of said slope sheets generally adjacentthe discharge opening and disposed generally in face-to-face contactwith said associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, said airinflatable member bulging outwardly into the hopper when inflated tooccupy space normally occupied by the bulk commodity transported withinthe hopper, the deflation of said member when the bulk commodity isbeing discharged from the hopper permitting the space previouslyoccupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the bulk commoditythereby aiding in dislodging any bulk commodity bridging over thedischarge opening for effecting rapid unloading of the commodity, saidair inflatable member having its lower end positioned closely adjacentthe discharge opening and being of a width as measured transversely ofthe car at least around 2 feet, said inflatable member when inflatedbeing as much as around twelve inches in thickness at its center therebybulging outwardly from the associated slope sheet a substantialdistance.

3. In a covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 2, saidinflatable member comprising an air tight bag having its upper marginaledge portion secured to the adjacent slope sheet.

4. In a covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 2, said baghaving a flange along its upper marginal portion, and

a clamping strip over said flange securing the flange to the subjacentslope sheet.

5. In a covered hopper railway car particularly for carrying ladingssuch as potatoes, a plurality of hoppers each having a bottom dischargeopening, means for controlling the discharge of the lading through thedischarge opening including a movable closure for the opening, a pair ofopposed end slope sheets for each hopper extending transversely of thecar and sloping downwardly to the associated discharge opening, an airinflatable member mounted on at least one of said slope sheets generallyadjacent the discharge opening and disposed generally in face-to-facecontact with said associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, saidair inflatable member bulging outwardly into the space within the hopperwhen inflated to occupy space normally occupied by the lading transported within the hopper, the inflation of said inflatable member beforeloading of the associated hopper acting to cushionv the fall of at leasta portion of the lading, the deflation of said member when the lading isbeing discharged from the hopper permitting the space previouslyoccupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the lading therebyaiding in dislodging any lading bridging over the discharge opening foreffecting rapid unloading of the lading, and means mounted adjacent theouter face of the associated slope sheet in fluid communication with theinflatable member to permit the entry of air within the inflatablemember for inflating the inflatable member.

6. A method of loading and unloading bulk commodities in a coveredhopper railway car, comprising the steps of, inflating an air inflatablemember on a hopper slope sheet positioned adjacent a bottom dischargeopening for an associated hopper, loading the bulk commodity through ahatch opening in the roof of the car with the inflatable membercushioning the fall of a portion of the bulk commodity being loaded, un-

loading the bulk commodity from a bottom discharge 0 ening, andsimultaneously deflating the inflatable member w ile unloading therebyto assist the unloading.

1. In a covered hopper railway car particularly for carrying bulkcommodities such as potatoes, a plurality of hoppers each having abottom discharge opening, means for controlling the discharge of thebulk commodity through the discharge opening including a movable closurefor the opening, pairs of opposed slope sheets for each hopper slopingdownwardly to the associated discharge opening, and an air inflatablemember mounted on at least one of said slope sheets generally adjacentthe discharge opening and disposed generally in face-to-face contactwith said associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, said airinflatable member bulging outwardly into the hopper when inflated tooccupy space normally occupied by the bulk commodity transported withinthe hopper, the deflation of said member when the bulk commodity isbeing discharged from the hopper permitting the space previouslyoccupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the bulk commoditythereby aiding in dislodging any bulk commodity bridging over thedischarge opening for effecting rapid unloading of the commodity.
 2. Ina covered hopper railway car particularly for carrying bulk commoditiessuch as potatoes, a plurality of hoppers each having a bottom dischargeopening, means for controlling the discharge of the bulk commoditythrough the discharge opening including a movable closure for theopening, pairs of opposed slope sheets for each hopper slopingdownwardly to the associated discharge opening, and an air inflatablemember mounted on at least one of said slope sheets generally adjacentthe discharge opening and disposed generally in face-to-face contactwith said associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, said airinflatable member bulging outwardly into the hopper when inflated tooccupy space normally occupied by the bulk commodity transported withinthe hopper, the deflation of said member when the bulk commodity isbeing discharged from the hopper permitting the space previouslyoccupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the bulk commoditythereby aiding in dislodging any bulk commodity bridging over thedischarge opening for effecting rapid unloading of the commodity, saidair inflatable member having its lower end positioned closely adjacentthe discharge opening and being of a width as measured transversely ofthe car at least around 2 feet, said inflatable member when inflatedbeing as much as around twelve inches in thickness at its center therebybulging outwardly from the associated slope sheet a substantialdistance.
 3. In a covered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 2,said inflatable member comprising an air tight bag having its uppermarginal edge portion secured to the adjacent slope sheet.
 4. In acovered hopper railway car as set forth in claim 2, said bag having aflange along its upper marginal portion, and a clamping strip over saidflange securing the flange to the subjacent slope sheet.
 5. In a coveredhopper railway car particularly for carrying ladings such as potatoes, aplurality of hoppers each having a bottom discharge opening, means forcontrolling the discharge of the lading through the discharge openingincluding a movable closure for the opening, a pair of opposed end slopesheets for each hopper extending transversely of the car and slopingdownwardly to the associated discharge opening, an air inflatable membermounted on at least one of said slope sheets generally adjacent thedischarge opening and disposed generally in face-to-face contact withsaid associated slope sheet when in deflated relation, said airinflatable member bulging outwardly Into the space within the hopperwhen inflated to occupy space normally occupied by the ladingtransported within the hopper, the inflation of said inflatable memberbefore loading of the associated hopper acting to cushion the fall of atleast a portion of the lading, the deflation of said member when thelading is being discharged from the hopper permitting the spacepreviously occupied by the inflated member to be occupied by the ladingthereby aiding in dislodging any lading bridging over the dischargeopening for effecting rapid unloading of the lading, and means mountedadjacent the outer face of the associated slope sheet in fluidcommunication with the inflatable member to permit the entry of airwithin the inflatable member for inflating the inflatable member.
 6. Amethod of loading and unloading bulk commodities in a covered hopperrailway car, comprising the steps of, inflating an air inflatable memberon a hopper slope sheet positioned adjacent a bottom discharge openingfor an associated hopper, loading the bulk commodity through a hatchopening in the roof of the car with the inflatable member cushioning thefall of a portion of the bulk commodity being loaded, unloading the bulkcommodity from a bottom discharge opening, and simultaneously deflatingthe inflatable member while unloading thereby to assist the unloading.